Retirees React to Shameful Senate Tax Vote

Statement by Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, on the Senate tax bill vote today.

“Today’s Senate vote was shameful.

“With less than 2 weeks of consideration and debate, Senate Republicans just voted to give whopping tax cuts to the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Their plan will cause the deficit to explode and trigger $25 billion in cuts to Medicare next year, and another $385 billion over the next nine years.

“At a moment when 10,000 Americans are turning 65 every day, members of the Senate have stolen the retirement health benefits that Americans have earned over a lifetime to provide an unneeded windfall to the top 1%. They seem determined to create a retirement crisis that will take decades to reverse.

“The vast majority of Americans see this tax scam for what it is. The 4.4 million members of the Alliance for Retired Americans will remember who fought for their health care, and who did not.”

The Workplace Democracy Act would strengthen the middle class by restoring workers’ rights to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions. Declining unionization has fueled rising inequality and corporate profits are at an all-time high, while wages as a percentage of the economy are near an all-time low. The middle class is disappearing, […]